Osaka with Kids
Places that work for children
The waterfront at Tempozan packs most of a family day into one spot. The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, the 112.5 m Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel and the Santa Maria cruise all list Osakako Station, and Universal Studios Japan has its own station, Universal City. In the city, Kids Plaza Osaka sits right outside Ogimachi Station and Ogimachi Park next door has a mountain slide and a climbing wall. Kids Plaza is closed on the second and third Monday of each month. Tennoji Zoo is closed Mondays too. Around Osaka Castle, the Gozabune boat circles the inner moat in about 20 minutes. The Dotonbori Konamon Museum runs a wax takoyaki class on its third floor. In all, 23 places are tagged for kids.
35 places
Year round When
The places
Museum · Dotonbori Dotonbori Konamon Museum A four-level building about flour-based food. The second floor holds historical documents on konamon and sauces, and the third floor runs a food sample making class (wax takoyaki to take home).
Park · Umeda Umekita Park A park beside Osaka Station, split into a South Park (Ofuka-cho 5) and a North Park (Ofuka-cho 6). It has a lawn plaza used for events and PLAT UMEKITA, a space for exhibitions and workshops.
Museum · Tenma Kids Plaza Osaka A children's museum right outside Ogimachi Station, with a fifth-floor kids' plaza and play spaces on several floors.
Park · Tenma Ogimachi Park A large park beside Ogimachi Station with a mountain slide, a climbing wall, a lawn, fountains and an indoor pool open all year.
Museum · Nakanoshima and Kitahama Osaka Science Museum A science museum with about 200 hands-on exhibits on space and energy, plus a planetarium with one of the largest dome screens in the world. It reopened on 1 August 2024.
Landmark · Osaka Castle Osaka Castle Main Tower The castle keep rebuilt in 1931 as a museum of the Toyotomi era and Osaka Castle's history, with an observation deck on the top floor. It stands inside Osaka Castle Park, which covers 105.6 hectares.
Park · Osaka Castle Osaka Castle Park A 105.6-hectare park around the castle keep, with moats, stone walls and a plum grove of about 1,245 trees of 105 varieties. It also holds Nishinomaru Garden, Osaka-jo Hall and the Miraiza shopping building.
Museum · Osaka Castle Osaka Museum of History A museum that covers nearly 1,400 years of Osaka's history with full-size reconstructed buildings, models and film. Remains of the Naniwa Palace are preserved in the basement, and the top floor looks out over Osaka Castle. It opened in 2001.
Landmark · Osaka Castle Osaka Castle Gozabune A gold-coloured sightseeing boat that circles the castle's inner moat in about 20 minutes.
Temple · Tennoji Shitenno-ji The head temple of the Washu sect, with a central temple area, the Gokuraku-jodo garden and a Treasure Hall. On the 21st and 22nd of every month the central area is free to enter.
Viewpoint · Tennoji Harukas 300 Observatory The observatory on floors 58 to 60 of Abeno Harukas, a 300 m tower. The 60th floor is a glass corridor with views in all directions, and on clear days you can see from Kyoto to Awaji Island.
Landmark · Shinsekai Tsutenkaku The tower at the center of Shinsekai, with a general observation deck, a golden deck on the 5th floor with the Billiken statue, and an outdoor deck on the roof. The tower has timed entry, which you book online or at the counter.
Park · Shinsekai Tennoji Zoo The municipal zoo in Tennoji Park, a short walk from Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku.
Museum · Osaka Bay Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan A large public aquarium on the Tempozan waterfront, built around a Pacific Ocean theme. You follow a spiral route down past tanks of marine life from around the rim of the Pacific.
Landmark · Osaka Bay Tempozan Giant Ferris Wheel A 112.5 m Ferris wheel with 60 cabins at Tempozan. One turn takes about 15 minutes.
Shopping · Osaka Bay Tempozan Marketplace A waterfront mall next to the Kaiyukan aquarium, with shops, restaurants and a food hall called Naniwa Kuishinbo Yokocho. It's part of the Tempozan Harbor Village complex.
Landmark · Osaka Bay Santa Maria Osaka Bay Cruise A replica sailing ship that cruises Osaka Bay from the Kaiyukan West Pier. The day cruise takes about 45 minutes and the twilight cruise about 60.
Landmark · Osaka Bay Universal Studios Japan A film-themed amusement park on the Osaka waterfront in Konohana Ward. It's the Osaka Bay area's biggest draw for families and one of the main reasons people stay in the city.
Temple · Nara Todai-ji A Buddhist temple in Nara whose main building is the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsu-den), home to the temple's colossal Buddha statue.
Day trip · Nara Nara Nara is the old capital east of Osaka, and its main sights sit inside or beside Nara Park. About 1,300 wild deer roam the park, and they're a designated national natural treasure.
Park · Nara Nara Park A park of about 660 hectares across the eastern side of Nara, home to roughly 1,300 wild deer. The deer are a designated national natural treasure and are counted as the divine messengers of Kasuga Taisha.
Day trip · Kobe Kobe A port city west of Osaka. Kitano has the Weathercock House, a National Important Cultural Property, and Nankinmachi is one of Japan's three top Chinatowns.
Day trip · Minoo Minoo Park and Falls Minoh Falls is a 33 m drop, 5 m wide, in Meiji-no-Mori Minoh Quasi-National Park in the hills north of Osaka. Entry to the park is free and the trail up from Hankyu Minoh Station follows the river.
Shopping · Umeda Hanshin Umeda Main Store A department store with a basement food floor, a Hanshin Tigers shop (Team Shop Clubhouse) on the first floor, and a food hall and restaurants on the ninth floor. Hanshin Osaka-Umeda station is about a minute away on foot.
Cafe · Tenma Cream Kitchen A cake shop and cafe on Tenjinbashisuji known for its Tenjin Roll, with fruit rolls, egg tarts and baked goods on the menu. The cafe side serves pancake sets and a pancake buffet.
Park · Tennoji TEN-SHIBA (Tennoji Park Entrance Area) The lawn plaza at the entrance of Tennoji Park, beside the station area. Cafes, restaurants, a flower shop and a paid children's play area sit around the grass.
Museum · Tennoji Abeno Tasukaru (Abeno Disaster Prevention Center) A free hands-on disaster-prevention facility run by the city. The experiences are tour-style courses with limited places.
Park · Osaka Castle Naniwa Palace Site Park The park on the ruins of Naniwa Palace, the capital that began in 645. Ground markers, explanation boards and AR show what stood here, and a lawn and restaurant building sit in the middle.
Food · Shinsekai Shinsekai Luna Street An open-air event space with a stage in front of Tsutenkaku, with takoyaki, kushikatsu and coffee served at about 50 tables. Music and performance events run on the stage.
Park · Kobe Kobe Nunobiki Herb Gardens and Ropeway A hillside herb garden reached by ropeway from beside Shin-Kobe Station. The upper areas include a lookout, a glass house and a restaurant.
Museum · Kobe Kobe Maritime Museum A museum on Meriken Park covering the history of Kobe and its port. The ticket also covers Kawasaki World inside the building.
Museum · Arima Onsen Arima Toys & Automata Museum A toy museum in Arima Onsen with an annual passport and craft workshops. Admission does not allow re-entry on the same day.
Park · Minoo Expo '70 Commemorative Park and Tower of the Sun The park laid out on the 1970 World Expo site, with Taro Okamoto's Tower of the Sun at its centre. The park has a Japanese garden, a natural-culture garden and cycle boats on the Yume no Ike pond.
Park · Osaka Bay Osaka Nanko Wild Bird Park Japan's first artificial tidal flat, opened in 1983 on reclaimed land in Nanko. An observation tower looks over the flat and the green space around it.
Museum · Sakai Shimano Bicycle Museum A museum run by Shimano on three floors, with real bicycles, panels and video on the history of cycling. The second floor shows early bicycles with panoramic video.
